Malda faces teacher shortage amid training requirement for 638 teachers

Malda: The Malda District Primary Education Council (DPSC) has released a list of 638 primary school teachers who will undergo a two-year Diploma in Elementary Education (DL.Ed) training, raising concerns about a potential teacher shortage across the district. In response to this, the DPSC has decided to transfer additional teachers to schools with vacancies.

The decision follows a court ruling earlier this year, which required all untrained teachers in the state, including 644 teachers in Malda, to undergo the DL.Ed. training. While 638 teachers from the 2009 panel are going to complete their training, 122 will receive training in Malda, while the others will be trained at various colleges across Bengal.

Chairperson of the DPSC, Basanti Barman, explained that the training was essential for ensuring that teachers were properly qualified. “Out of the 644 teachers on the 2009 panel, 638 will receive training. This will strengthen the quality of education in the district,” Barman said. However, with the significant number of teachers now required to leave their current posts for training, there are growing concerns about staffing gaps in schools.

District School Inspector Sujit Samanta acknowledged the potential shortage but assured that measures have been taken to mitigate it. “We will soon transfer additional teachers from schools with surplus staff to fill the vacancies,” he said.

The issue came to light when a group of teachers, including Tiyas Chowdhury and Indranil Chowdhury, filed a case in court, challenging their untrained status. On June 20, Justice Rajashekhar Mantha ruled that all untrained teachers in the state should undergo DL.Ed. training. Malda has had one of the highest numbers of untrained teachers in the state, prompting this intervention.

Indranil Chowdhury, one of the teachers affected, expressed relief at the court’s ruling. “We have always had the support of the DPSC in our fight. This ruling has secured our jobs,” he said. However, with the impending teacher shortages, the DPSC is working quickly to address the gaps before the end of the year.